Jones For Revival

Those who go to Jonesfest on Saturday will get an extra-large helping of Jones for Revival.

The jam band will close its annual music festival with a four-hour set — including an hour of the Grateful Dead — beginning at 7 p.m. In past years, the Youngstown-based quartet, whose following extends beyond the region, played for only two hours.

Jones For Revival’s annual grand gathering at Nelson Ledges — the high point of JFR’s summer-festival calendar — is now in its fourth year. There were originally three other acts on the bill, but scheduling difficulties have reduced it to one: John Welton of Waterband, who will provide an acoustic set.

If anyone can pull off a four-hour set, its the prolific Jones For Revival. The band has mountains of material and prides itself on keeping every show unique.

“Dave Lynn [bass, vocals] and I have been writing three or four songs a month since January,” said Jim DeCapua, guitarist for the improv-leaning band. - The Youngstown Vindicator

"Honestly, check these guys out; this opportunity won’t present itself everyday."
- Samuel Sloma, ACRN The Rock Lobster (Oct 07, 2010) - ACRN's The Rock Lobster

"As their set played on, they showed that they could jam with the best of them and the crowd seemed to thoroughly enjoy what singer/guitarist Jimmy DeCapua was dishing out. "
- Brian Bound, ACRN's Scene and Heard (Oct 13, 0010)

- ACRN's Scene and Heard

"There was even a point during their gig when saxophonist / keyboardists, Fredo Burazer, was performing with dual saxophones as once. It was a feat that actually intensified the execution of their set. It also appeared that a lot of their set was improvised and you could tell that they were feeding off of each other’s energy." - Steeltownrock.com

"There was even a point during their gig when saxophonist / keyboardists, Fredo Burazer, was performing with dual saxophones as once. It was a feat that actually intensified the execution of their set. It also appeared that a lot of their set was improvised and you could tell that they were feeding off of each other’s energy." - Steeltownrock.com

"Jones For Revival liberally and deftly uses genres from prog-rock and folk to reggae and jazz and even some disco and house grooves in its mix of vocally driven and instrumental tunes." - Akron Beacon Journal

YOUNGSTOWN — “Great turnout and there’s more to come,” Fred Rafidi of Youngstown Local Music music promoters said as Saturday’s JonesFest peaked at about 2,500 listeners downtown.

“Anytime Youngstown does anything like this, it’s a success. People want this.”

As one of the event organizers, Rafidi knows what he’s talking about. Last summer, the group organized VexFest IV­— a much bigger, less focused all-day music festival. This year, to kickstart the summer, JonesFest was held under surprisingly sunny pre-summer skies.

The festival, named after local jamband Jones For Revival, had two stages, 13 bands, two acoustic performers, two magicians and two comedians. Local favorites The Zou, 5 Elements, The Devotees and Captain Braskey were featured in the festival, as well as a two-hour Jones set on the main stage to close out the festival.

Jones frontman Jim DeCapua agreed that the first annual JonesFest was a hit.

“I think the turnout exceeded our expectations,” DeCapua said. “The day was phenomenal.”

While the day was hectic for DeCapua, he said feedback he got from people blew his mind. They kept coming up to him and telling him how awesome it was, he said. He didn’t have much time to think Saturday, but when he woke up Sunday morning, he said, “Wow, that was sweet.”

All the hard work and planning really paid off, he said, and he was grateful Rafidi was there to act as a mentor and help throughout the day. Although wind was an issue, he said everyone who participated in some way made the day a success.

“It was surreal to me,” DeCapua said. “It was just one of those weekends.”

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Phil Kidd, director of downtown events, said the festival was a success. Kidd had a table set up for Defend Youngstown, his longtime personal Web site, and said he had a lot of interested people stop by. While he was happy with the success of his table, he was ecstatic about what JonesFest did for the city.

“For the city of Youngstown? Phenomenal,” Kidd said. “Nothing but positive comments about the event.”

Kidd said this was the perfect way to start the summer season for downtown. Within a few years, he envisions the entire Central Square area being blocked off to host this type of event.

“I think we can get there,” Kidd said. “...There’s a really nice crowd. It speaks to the quality of this [event].”

To sum it up in a single sentence, Phil Kidd style: “Get ready for more to come.”

Positive comments didn’t just come from people involved in organizing and planning the event. Guitarist Jim Putnam of GreyDealer said he came out to support the local scene. GreyDealer was not a band featured in the festival, and Putnam said it was nice to be able to come out and enjoy the day as a spectator.

“I love Youngstown,” Putnam said.

Putnam said he really enjoyed being able to watch acts­ he doesn’t usually get a chance to see perform live. He liked Melva’s set and loved Winslow’s single, “Crazy Kind of Love.”

“We love our people of Youngstown,” Putnam said. “We love our bands.... There are some great performers.”

Putnam also has great respect for larger bands, like the eight-piece Twelve Bucks, because of the intense amount of rehearsal time that goes into coordinating such a venture, he said, concluding,

“It was a tinge of the Allman Brothers with lots of horn sections.”

And what outside music festival wouldn’t be complete without a... mechanical bull? Attention to the bull was light during the first few hours of the day, but as the line at the beer truck got longer, more and more people lined up to take a shot on its bucking back.

Bobbi Kukura was one of those: “Crazy,” she said. “A lot faster than I thought it was.”

She found out about JonesFest through word-of-mouth and had to come check it out, she said. She thinks it’s a great idea and it was fun to see the local bands.

“I haven’t heard of any of them and they’re all really good,” Kukura said.


- Valley24.com

"Thinking about jam bands in the Youngstown area, Jones For Revival should be the first band that comes to mind. With a laid back sound mixing jazz and blues; this five piece band draws in a huge Youngstown crowd at every show."

Scotty Dogg
(12/1/07)
- MAyNSTREAM Magazine

Jim DeCapua, Jones for Revival vocalist and guitarist, knows that college kids like to party, which is one reason Kent State is always on his list of places to play.

DeCapua, a Kent State graduate, along with his bandmates, have lined up three shows in Kent over the next few months, including shows at the Kent Stage (Feb. 23) and the Rathskellar (April 12). The band will also be playing shows in the Cleveland and Youngstown areas.

Jones for Revival, who formed in 2004, is comprised of childhood friends from Youngstown who bonded over their passion for music. "We started out just playing in basements, and just decided to start doing shows," said DeCapua.

DeCapua, along with fellow members Matt Hahn (bass, vocals), Drew Ridgley (keys, vocals), Fredo Burazer (saxophone, flute, vocals) and Gino West (drums/ percussion), has made an impact on the local music scene with a sound that is comprised of many different genres, including jazz and reggae. "We kind of just wanted to touch on a little of everything," DeCapua said. "Our music is perfect for a party atmosphere and at the same time can be appreciated by musicians."

DeCapua cites Dave Matthews, Phish, Cake and Sublime as some of the band's greatest influences. But Jones for Revival has established a style of its own, which can be heard on their EP Outside the Box, which was released in November 2007. For those who are looking for more Jones for Revival, their full-length record is set to come out in late March. The record will contain several of the band's older songs, but will also include new material.

The band also has a DVD out, which contains their 45-minute performance at VexFest, a music festival in Youngstown. They perform songs from their EP, such as "Cats Eye", "She's Crazy" and "Drift".

If planning on attending a Jones for Revival show, DeCapua said one can expect to see "a good jam band who stretches its limits."

"We're fun guys," said DeCapua "but we try to bring musical appreciation to the table as well."

Contact all reporter Katie Young at kyoung15@kent.edu.

- Daily Kent Stater

Jim DeCapua, Jones for Revival vocalist and guitarist, knows that college kids like to party, which is one reason Kent State is always on his list of places to play.

DeCapua, a Kent State graduate, along with his bandmates, have lined up three shows in Kent over the next few months, including shows at the Kent Stage (Feb. 23) and the Rathskellar (April 12). The band will also be playing shows in the Cleveland and Youngstown areas.

Jones for Revival, who formed in 2004, is comprised of childhood friends from Youngstown who bonded over their passion for music. "We started out just playing in basements, and just decided to start doing shows," said DeCapua.

DeCapua, along with fellow members Matt Hahn (bass, vocals), Drew Ridgley (keys, vocals), Fredo Burazer (saxophone, flute, vocals) and Gino West (drums/ percussion), has made an impact on the local music scene with a sound that is comprised of many different genres, including jazz and reggae. "We kind of just wanted to touch on a little of everything," DeCapua said. "Our music is perfect for a party atmosphere and at the same time can be appreciated by musicians."

DeCapua cites Dave Matthews, Phish, Cake and Sublime as some of the band's greatest influences. But Jones for Revival has established a style of its own, which can be heard on their EP Outside the Box, which was released in November 2007. For those who are looking for more Jones for Revival, their full-length record is set to come out in late March. The record will contain several of the band's older songs, but will also include new material.

The band also has a DVD out, which contains their 45-minute performance at VexFest, a music festival in Youngstown. They perform songs from their EP, such as "Cats Eye", "She's Crazy" and "Drift".

If planning on attending a Jones for Revival show, DeCapua said one can expect to see "a good jam band who stretches its limits."

"We're fun guys," said DeCapua "but we try to bring musical appreciation to the table as well."

Contact all reporter Katie Young at kyoung15@kent.edu.

- Daily Kent Stater